1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a stairway lift to be installed along a stairway to carry a user or luggage upward and downward, and more particularly, to a stairway lift to be preferably installed in a public facility such as a station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several measures have been taken recently to enable physically handicapped people to use public facilities more, and in particular, to go upstairs and downstairs when in a wheelchair in a station or any other public facility. It may be possible to install a special elevator for physically handicapped people in a facility which a lot of them visit. However, the elevator or any other hearts of a similar kind is expensive and requires much space and time for installation. Inexpensive stairway lifts have, therefore, been drawing attention because they need less space and time for installation in a public facility, especially in a facility which people do not frequent. There are some types already proposed.
FIG. 22 shows an example as published in the Tokkaisho 60-87184, and the disclosed stairway lift 300 is equipped with guide rails 303, 303 installed on the side wall 302 along a stairway 301. There is also provided a rack 305 between the guide rails 303, 303. There is movably supported a carrier 306, which is approximately L-shaped in section, on the guide rails 303, 303, the carrier 306 being equipped with a motor 307 and a drive sprocket 309 to be driven by the motor 307. The drive sprocket 309 is engaged with the rack 306 on the side wall, and the motor 307 driven sprocket 309 enables the carrier 306 to go up and down.
Although the stall, way lift 300 may be installed more readily than an elevator, there is still heft something to be desired. Partly because it may not be available if the side wall 302 of the stairway is not strong enough, and partly because the carrier 306 mounted onto the guide rails 303, 303 projects so much toward the stairway that it interferes with traffic on the stairway.
FIG. 23 through FIG. 26 show another example as published in the Tokkaisho 58-63676. The disclosed stairway lift 200 is equipped with guide rails 203, 205 installed linearly along the side wall 202 of a stairway 201, the guide rails 203, 205 having elongated holes 203a, 205a (as illustrated in FIG. 24). There is mounted a rack 210 under the guide rail 203 (FIG. 24).
A mobile body 209 is supported by these guide rails 203, 205. The mobile body 209 has a pair of arms 207, 207 (see FIG. 25) extending toward the guide rails 203, 205, and guide rollers 206, 206 rotatively supported by the front ends of the arms 207, 207. Because the guide rollers 206, 206 are furnished in the guide rails 203, 205, the mobile body 209 is then movably supported by the guide rails 203, 205 (see FIG. 26). The opening of each of the long holes 203a, 205a of the guide rails 203, 205 is smaller by design than the vertical size (outer diameter) of each of the guide rollers 206, 206 to prevent the rollers from coming out through the holes. The mobile body 209 is equipped with a drive sprocket 211 and an electric motor 212, the rive sprocket 211 being engaged with the rack 210 under the guide rail 203 and driven by the motor 212. Moreover, these guide rollers 206, 206 are provided with a plurality of vertically operative guide rollers 206a and a plurality of laterally operative guide rollers 206b respectively as illustrated in FIG. 24. The mobile body 209 is thus constructed so that it travels in parallel along the guide rails 203, 205, always keeping the same posture toward the guide rails 203, 205. There is a carrier 215 secured to the mobile body 209 with a bolt 213 and there are mounted casters 216, 216, 216, 216 onto the bottom of the carrier 215.
Now that the stairway lift 200 is constructed as described above, the carrier 215, when not used, may be removed from the mobile body 209 by releasing the bolt 213 and transported manually using the casters and stored in a place which does not cause any interference with traffic. When carrying a person on a wheelchair from downstairs to upstairs, using the stairway lift 200, the mobile body 209 is first operated electrically to move to the guide rails 203, 205 to the lowest limit. The carrier 215 is then transported manually from where it is stored to the mobile body 209. The carrier 215 is mounted onto the mobile body 209 with the bolt 213. After putting the wheelchaired person on the carrier, the electric motor 212 of the mobile body 209 is started to drive the sprocket 211, and the mobile body 209 supporting the drive sprocket 211 starts ascending the stairway 201 along the guide rails 203, 205 as the rack 210 engaged with the sprocket 211 is secured to the guide rail 203 side. The driving electric motor 212 is stopped when the carrier 215 gets upstairs, and the mobile body 209 and the carrier 215 are stopped to get the wheelchaired person off the carrier 215. As the mobile body 209 is so supported as to travel in parallel by way of the guide rollers 206, 206 and the carrier 215 is secured to the mobile body 209, the carrier 215 is supposed to travel, keeping the same posture toward the guide rails 203, 205. As mentioned above, the stairway lift 200 allows the carrier 215 to be removed and stored in a place which does not hinder any traffic when not used, while the mobile body 209 remains mounted on the guide rails 203, 205 and projecting toward the stairway to an extent that it interferes with traffic. In addition, it is necessary to transport the carrier 215 to the stairway from where it is stored for the purpose of using the stairway lift 200. This may cause the carrier 215 to interfere with traffic. Furthermore, mounting the carrier 215 onto the mobile body 209 with the bolt 213 is not so easy even with a tool, and it is then necessary to move the carrier 215 to match the bolt 213 with the bolt hole (not shown) of the mobile body 209. If the bolt 213 comes off while the carrier 215 is ascending or descending the stairway 201, the carrier 215 will fall down. There are some other difficulties to overcome if the stairway lift 200 is installed along a stairway having a landing or a platform because it is troublesome to linearly form the guide rails 203, 205. Unless the rails are linearly formed, the carrier will fail to travel and keep the same horizontal posture toward the guide rails 203, 205. In addition, it is necessary to extend the guide rails 203, 205 to the floor downstairs and bring the mobile body 209 near the carrier 215 to mount the latter onto the former. In such an instance, however, the guide rails 203, 205 may protrude into the traffic passage and interfere with traffic.